Top performers from World Wood Bat Association Championship on Friday

By
Mike RosenbaumMLB.com

Perfect Game's World Wood Bat Association World Championship featured a host of promising young hurlers on the mound on Thursday's Opening Day, which included 35 games. However, the final major event of the high school showcase circuit didn't really get into full swing until Friday.

Some of the top prospects for the 2017-19 Drafts took the field across 58 games and as many as 13 contests going on at once at the Roger Dean Stadium complex in Jupiter, Fla.

Perfect Game's World Wood Bat Association World Championship featured a host of promising young hurlers on the mound on Thursday's Opening Day, which included 35 games. However, the final major event of the high school showcase circuit didn't really get into full swing until Friday.

Some of the top prospects for the 2017-19 Drafts took the field across 58 games and as many as 13 contests going on at once at the Roger Dean Stadium complex in Jupiter, Fla.

Here's a look at how some top prospects and other notable standouts fared in Friday's action.

Jordon "Jo" Adell, CF/RHP (Louisville, Ky.)

A day after impressing on the mound with the EvoShield Canes 17U team, Adell, an elite athlete as well as one of the top prospects in the 2017 class, showcased his offensive upside on Friday by going 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs out of the cleanup spot. Through three games, the Louisville commit is batting .500 (4-for-8) with two doubles and five RBIs.

Luke Bartnicki, LHP (Marietta, Ga.)

Though he won't graduate high school until 2018, Bartnicki, 16, firmly placed himself on the Draft radar with an excellent showing on Friday for the East Cobb Astros. Entering in the fifth inning against the Mets Scout Team, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound left-hander operated in the low 90s with his fastball and topped out at 93.8 mph en route to fanning three hitters in two scoreless frames. The Georgia Tech commit flashed a promising slider, thrown in the 77-81 mph range, and even mixed in a couple of mid-70s changeups.

Starting for the EvoShield Canes 17U squad, Carlson, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander, allowed one earned run over five innings and threw 57 of his 93 pitches for strikes. Behind a fastball that maxed out at 93.9 mph, the Florida commit scattered six hits, walked a pair and struck out six, also generating 10 ground-ball outs.

The South Carolina commit recorded one of the day's hardest-hit balls in the opening game of the East Cobb Yankees' doubleheader, when he roped a double 365.8 feet with an exit velocity of 103.2 mph.

Stephen Keller, RHP (Huffman, Texas)

Despite struggling with his control and command while allowing two earned runs on one hit and three walks in 1 2/3 innings for the Marlins Scout Team, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound righty and LSU commit showcased plenty of arm strength as he achieved the top fastball velocity (92.5 mph) and fastball spin rate (2542 rpm) in a 7-6 loss to Palm Beach Select. Keller's mid-70s curveball, meanwhile, was a pleasant surprise for scouts in attendance, as he threw seven of his 13 breakers for strikes (including five called strikes).

Already viewed by scouts as one of the better prep catchers in the 2017 class, the left-handed hitting Melendez continued to boost his stock with an impressive opposite-field home run on a 1-1 fastball in his first at-bat for the Astros Scout Team on Friday. The Florida International commit added an RBI single in his next trip to the plate, ultimately finishing 2-for-3 at the plate.

Devin Ortiz, RHP/3B/SS (Nutley, N.J.)

One of the top two-way players in this year's event, Ortiz displayed his potential on both sides of the ball in Team Citius' loss against the Dodgers Scout Team/East Cobb. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder's solo home run in the first inning, which traveled 363.4 feet according to TrackMan, accounted for his team's lone run, and he later bumped 91 mph on the mound with his first of two pitches before the game was called due to time limit.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander was dominant as he tossed three scoreless innings to pace the Royals Scout Team in an 8-0 shutout of the Orlando Scorpions. Strider allowed one hit and two walks while recording six of his nine outs via the strikeout. On top of that, the Clemson commit recorded the game's top fastball velocity (94.4 mph) and fastball spin rate (2427 rpm), according to TrackMan.

Aaron Perry, RHP (Hurricane, W.V.)

The Kentucky Baseball Club Prime right-hander posted the day's best velocity, as he topped out at 94.9 mph and sat between 93-94 mph while tossing three scoreless innings. The Kentucky commit scattered three hits, walked one and struck out three, throwing 28 of his 45 pitches for strikes. Listed at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Perry also showed a dynamic slider that TrackMan registered at 86.1 mph with a spin rate of 2806 rpm.